Winter Olympics: Gran crashes out

"Grandma Luge" Anne Abernathy was forced to pull out of the Games after a heavy crash in training.

Abernathy, 52, broke her wrist and also smashed the right runner of her sledge after crashing "hard" in her fifth training run.

The popular Abernathy was hoping to take part in her sixth Olympics as the first woman in her 50s at a Winter Games.

The former professional entertainer has won widespread respect for beating cancer, serious head injury and even surviving a hurricane that destroyed her Virgin Islands home.

The daunting Cesana Pariol course has already claimed a number of victims and had to be closed to luge for modifications.